Causal Determinism
by ragnarok23456
Summary: In the summer of 2007, a talented biomechanical engineer takes a job at the remote desert campus of a mysterious, multi-billion-dollar company. When she begins to question their methods and motives, events begin to spin out of control.


Gold light flooded a long hallway with soaring sandstone walls and a bright, pine-wood floor. At one end of the hall, three interlocking trapezoidal windows faced out on desert cliffs and canyons that glowed like red Martian mesas in the afternoon sun. At the other end, a woman in gray slacks and a collarless gray shirt leaned forward in her seat, staring intently at a closed door.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door slid open with a faint hiss. A man with round, wire-rim glasses and a clipboard stepped out.

"Ms. Sengupta? She's ready to see you now."

Riya nodded, and followed the man through a small alcove into a vast, octagonal office. Like the hall, this room was sunny and spare - empty, except for a sprawling, ornate partner's desk that appeared to have been carved out of one enormous and ancient tree. Behind the desk, a tiny woman in her fifties - wearing a sleek black suit and tomato-red hijab - looked up from her monitor and smiled pleasantly.

"Please, take a seat." She gestured to a metal chair on the opposite side of the desk. Then she nodded to the man in the glasses. "Leo, we'll have some tea." Leo vanished. Riya sat.

"My name is Shohreh Ja'fari. I'm the Chief Talent Officer here at the Amangiri campus. Thank you for coming so far to see us, Riya. I trust your flight was comfortable."

"It was. Thank you so much for bringing me," Riya said brightly. "This site is - it's truly spectacular."

"Yes, it is." The older woman folded her hands together. "Now, Riya - I'd like to discuss your test results. As you know, our test is designed to help us identify individuals with potential. I've seen many results over the years. _Thousands._ And I'm going to level with you, Riya. I've seen better. Much better." She made a small gesture, and the monitor in front of her leapt to life, filling with laser-blue text and an intricate ziggurat of bar-charts and line graphs.

Riya's heart thudded heavily in her chest. Shohreh went on: "Your visual and logical reasoning skills are quite good. Investigative skills, too. And you clearly have what we call 'a drive to help'. We value all of that. But there were some distinct deficiencies in your scores."

Shohreh paused as Leo came back into the room. He distributed tea in tiny white china cups. After he left, she continued: "We aren't an adhocratic organization, like your last employer. Hierarchy isn't a 'dirty word' here, and rank _matters_ to us. The sensitive nature of what we do means that we _need_ our employees to be able to understand and follow orders. Do you know what I mean, Riya?"

Riya nodded mutely, her heartbeat still an frenetic flutter. She held her cup of tea in her left hand - and steadied her left hand with her right.

"What's more," Shohreh continued conversationally, "the nature of our work also means that, in many ways, we're on our own. I often tell people that living out here is not unlike being in a monastery - or, if you prefer, a convent. Hard work, vow of silence, sense of belonging, all of that. Less of the chanting. Not so many robes."

Shohreh laughed lightly at herself then, and Riya made a point to provide a short, purposeful chuckle as well. She went on: "It means it can be a very lonely existence here, in the desert. That is, as far as relationships _outside_ the organization go. Inside our family, of course, friendships are quite common - even encouraged. But then - your social scores were quite low. Can you explain that?"

There was a pause as Riya chose her next words and methodically wrapped them around the skeleton of what she had learned about Shohreh so far. "I suppose I don't derive my energy from social interactions. I hope it doesn't sound disingenuous - but I derive much more energy from meaningful work. From being part of a _mission_."

Shohreh's face brightened considerably. "Riya, I was hoping you would say that." She waved away the contents of the screen with a flick of her hand. She leaned forward a little. "Let's talk about 'mission' - about why we do what we do. Tell me, Riya, do you think that humans are fundamentally good?"

Riya set her teacup to rest on Shohreh's desk, and took a deep breath. "Truthfully - no. I don't think we're fundamentally _anything_. I think we are only ever the sum total of the choices we make. To be 'good' - to do good for individuals and for humanity writ large - requires choices and effort. I don't think any of us are born 'good'."

"So, that 'effort' you describe - what does that involve? What can we actually _do_ to help improve life for one another?"

The younger woman pushed the teacup away with a steady hand. "At the 'micro' level, we make individual choices - choices to help and not to harm one another. And at the 'macro' level - I suppose we try to create lasting institutions that reward creative - rather than destructive - behavior."

Shohreh's expression was almost decidedly grave. "And if the creation of such institutions involves sacrifice? What if it means limiting individual freedoms? You can't really be _comfortable_ with that."

"It's not ideal. But freedom means little if you're hungry, or cold, or homeless, under attack. I think that, as a society, we owe it to one another to end suffering. And if that means limiting freedoms, it's regrettable...but still preferable. If we can help as many people as possible -" Riya trailed off.

"Mm-hmm," Shohreh hummed thoughtfully. She pressed her hands together, with her fingertips under her chin. "And if you worked here, with us? How would that 'help'?"

Riya nodded, as if in agreement. Her sea-legs were under her now. "I only know a little of what you do. I obviously don't know the specifics. But I know that the kind of work you do can have wide-ranging applications. I know that your -" She hesitated. "- your group has been responsible for some remarkable scientific advancements in the last few years. I know that without scientific progress, there is no human progress. And I would like to be a part of it." Riya looked up, meeting Shohreh's gaze directly. "If you'll have me."

"Ha," said Shohreh. Her smile was nearly blissful. "Riya, I agree completely. A sufficiently advanced society will be prosperous. And a sufficiently well-organized society will be peaceful." Then Shohreh cleared her throat. "We don't bring in new employees very often. But your supervisors at Alphabet were so effusive about you. And your values speak for themselves."

She stood. So did Riya. "Everyone will be so excited to meet you, Riya."

They shook hands.

"Welcome to Abstergo."


End file.
